It was four bags, three airports, three glasses of Chardonnay, 15 flight hours and a latté before I took my first steps in the city of Prague. One Mercedes Benz bus ride to the hotel, a quick refreshment and I was off to explore the preserved beauty of the Czech Republic.
The stale scent of European cigarettes and overpriced men’s cologne filled my lungs as I walked around Wenceslas Square. The city burst with life from every corner with food vendors, street performers, musicians, tourists and artwork. Busy cars and trams rush by, never stopping for stray sightseers along the way.
The first site-seeing visit was to Saint Vitus’s Cathedral, an enormous fortress built to surround the first church of Czech and Prague castle. The entire cathedral was constructed to protect the body of Saint Wenceslas and Charles IV.
I was fortunate enough to be on my second study abroad program with Baylor University. We are here for 1 week, then moving to Budapest, Hungary for another 4 weeks to study travel journalism at Cornivus University. Pictured below are the 14 lovely ladies and one brave gentlemen on the trip, along with our professor. My incredible roommate for the next five weeks, Bailey, is the blonde in the bottom right corner.
While most countries consider water a free, basic human right at restaurants, water is a luxury for those who can afford it in Prague. Averaging at 55 koruna, or $2.45, water is more expensive to purchase while dining out then most beer (45 koruna, or $2.00).
Because Prague is a mainly touristy city, cuisine choices range from all regions of the world. One traditional Czech dish is goulash, a beef and vegetable stew, seasoned with paprika and accompanied by baguettes to dip in the sauce. Goulash is originally a medieval Hungarian soup-like meal, but the Czechs adopted the dish and altered the recipe to a stew.
Another staple to the Czech culture is a trdelnik, a Slovakian dessert that was kept by the Czechs when the divorce was finalized. A trdelnik is a cone of baked dough with cinnamon sugar, filled with ice cream and topped with your choice of whipped cream, strawberries and Nutella.
Much about the culture of Prague is still representative of their previous Communist heritage. Though the country is now a proud Republic, the communist roots of Czech still web through architecture, monuments, and lifestyles of the citizens. The preserved architecture of original buildings can be seen on every structure. Original colors, arched entries, statues and gargoyles are maintained regularly by the city in order to protect Czech history and remind the citizens the nation’s progress.
